The CIA Declassified Reports on The French Nuclear Weapons Program (1959)

... report, France joined the circle of nuclear powers alongside the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, France remained a nuclear power that lagged behind Washington and Moscow that had a better command of this technology. The nuclear program will have a considerable influence on the European and international geopolitics. Firstly, obtaining nuclear weapons confirmed De Gaulle’s ambitions to move away from NATO. However, France’s nuclear capabilities did not allow it to be an alternative to the United States. Although it strengthened its strategic autonomy vis-à-vis Washington, Paris ...